Raveena Tandon’s Air India post sparks online debate after tragic crash

Bollywood star Raveena Tandon has sparked a heated online controversy after posting about flying with Air India, just days after the tragic crash of flight AI171 in Ahmedabad. The June 12 tragedy killed 260 people, making Raveena’s post a hot centre for debate about celebrity behaviour during a crisis.

All you need to know about Raveena Tandon’s Air India controversy

Raveena, who boarded an Air India flight shortly after the crash, shared images of her journey, noting the "solemn atmosphere" and how the crew's "welcoming smiles [were] tinted with sadness." Her caption, "Godspeed always @airindia," was intended as a gesture of solidarity with the airline and its staff. Prior to her, comedian Vir Das also expressed support for Air India.

However, the post was greeted with a mixed response, especially on Reddit. A large number of users condemned the timing, calling it "insensitive" and "tone-deaf." Several suspected that the post was a promotion, with one user commenting, "Putting up an Air India promotion post just right after 4 days of such a horrific crash is just so tone-deaf." Another added, "How can people be so out of touch with reality! Ghar tabaah hogye logon ke aur aapko kis cheez ki strength chahiye." The suspicion of it being a "paid post" also ruled supreme.

On the other hand, a few Redditors defended Raveena, claiming that her plan was to provide support. One of the commenters proposed, "Think she's encouraging the passengers and crew onboard who travel frequently through these flights. There's doom and fear felt by crew and flyers in general so I don't find anything wrong with this." Another user, who was scheduled to fly, replied, "Posts like these reassure me. I don't think she's attempting to be tone-deaf."

The disastrous crash of Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was flying from Ahmedabad to London with 230 passengers and 12 crew on board, has plunged the country into grief. The accident happened just five minutes after the flight took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. Raveena Tandon’s tweet has unwittingly pointed out the intricacies of how public figures handle sensitive situations in the social media era.

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